Shri Akhilesh Yadav, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh laid down the foundation stone for the temple in a Shilanyas ceremony held on March 16, 2014, the day of Holi. This day was especially auspicious as it coincides with Gaura Purnima, the appearance day of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who propagated congregational chanting of the holy names of Lord Krishna. Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman and Sri Chancalapathi Dasa, President of the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir were present during the ceremony.

Calling it a historic moment for Mathura-Vrindavan, Mr. Yadav said the project exemplified the goodness of religion. “This is a historic moment coinciding with Holi which inspires us to spread love and happiness. India is known for its culture, plurality and is home to numerous religions. “A moment like this underlines our rich heritage and must encourage all to promote spiritualism,” said Mr. Yadav. He later gave away citations to the founder patrons of the temple. He also promised to extend full support to the project.

“We are not only trying to create a temple but recreate the times of Krishna where people can be at peace and participate in intellectually stimulating lectures and take part in activities of music and art,” Chanchalapathi Dasa, President, Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir said.

The program began with the foundation stone laying ceremony at 11 am, followed by Shilanyas Havan in the holy presence of the Sants of Braj at 4 pm. The program concluded with the serving of prasadam to the assembled devotees at 8 pm.

The massive skyscraper temple, named Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir will be 700 ft tall with a foot print of 5.5 acres. The project is conceived and dedicated by the devotees of ISKCON, Bangalore as a major centre for spreading Krishna Consciousness all over the world.